mailed in 1907.
Pennsylvania page of Library Postcards: Civic Pride in a Lost America.
At the moment, these pages still contain non-Carnegie libraries. There is a division planned.
As expected, Andrew Carnegie treated his adopted state to bigger grants and grander buildings. What most consider to be the flagship (mother ship?) Carnegie building is the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
America's first Carnegie Library, dedicated in 1890 by Benjamin Harrison.
April 6, 2006. Lightning bolt to the tower.
The library is currently closed and Allegheny Regional Library patrons appear to be currently served by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
By the way, the clock took a lickin' and kept on tickin'. It survived its multi-story fall and the lightning.
Plastichrome Colourpicture card is quite recent for a classic library card.
It looks as if not only is this the original building, it's also the original circulation desk.
1904 - 1968
OK, I'm not sure that
this
can be so. A swimming pool? Shower baths? Bowling alleys?
Evidently
Carnegie works employees, for a small fee, had access
to all these things. City residents used the library portion.
I hope the librarians could bowl during their lunch break. That would be an awesome stress reduction perk.
Still in use in 2005, plus 3 branches.
Interesting history on the library's website. A city website reveals that Easton received two grants (1902 and 1913). It also has a picture of an earlier library building.
The card has a linen-finish, and appears to be quite common.
1903 grant. Still in use.
The Building looks like a smaller version of the Joliet, Illinois Carnegie building.
What a beautiful ca. 1907 card! I don't know if cherries have any connection with the city, but the card was produced for Schollenberger's Confectionery of Hamburg.
1896 grant. Built in 1898. Still in use.
This is not just a library: it's also an athletic club and a music hall. Wow. I suspect this was one of those facilities meant to 'improve' the lives of Carnegie's employees. As if a steelworker needed--or had time--to work out.
The Souvenir Post Card was mailed in 1908.
According to the Waymarking web site, this is the very first Carnegie library, built in 1889 to replace the library building lost in the Johnstown Flood.
Unusual French Gothic structure that was replaced in the early '70s and reopened as the Johnstown Flood Museum in 1973. Why it had the two entrances, I have no clue.
(L) 1911 card in the 'blue sky' style.
(R) Tinted card mailed in 1924. Note the policeman in the street.
Postmarked 1943. In inimitable Curt Teich style, an American flag has been added to the right of the building. How can I tell? I can see the blue sky through its stars! Sent from a student to her teaching nun in S. Chicago. What more innocuous topic could one choose?
1900 grant. The date on the carving above the false entrance is 1902.
Modernized 1959.
According to the
library's web site, the four lions on the library's
corners symbolize power. According to the card, 'What lions?'
The Rotograph German postcard was mailed in 1906.
This city alone received 25 Carnegie grants. See below for the main building.
1903 grant. Library still in use as the Frankford Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Attractive card.
Built in 1907. Replaced by the Northwest Regional Library in 1978. Converted to the Center in the (Vernon) Park, 1986. Serves as an activity center for older people.
Card caption: The Free Library of Philadelphia
Germantown Branch, Vernon Park
|
|
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| Unevenly divided card by W.G. MacFarlane, mailed in 1907. |
This card, postmarked 1910, has plenty of interesting information. The photo was by R.W. Johnston and featured 'A Bird's-eye View showing Carnegie Library, Pittsburg, Pa. Note the empty land. | The 1917 card looks positively bucolic with hills and trees in the background. |
|
| |
| Published by Minsky Bros. Publishing Division, this C.T. Art-Colortone linen finish card is postmarked 1945. A train track appears to end behind the building. The general perspective of this entire card seems somewhat 'off.' | This is a closer view of the Carnegie Institute and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, as photographed by J.E. Ihrig. It dates from the 1950s. If the colors are accurate, it has become nearly black from the smog and soot of industrial Pittsburgh. |
According to the 1907 message:
The 'Branch' is not far from our home. I pass it twice a day on way to train - (and) the girls get books occasionally - There are other branch libraries in the 'West End' - 'Lawrence ville' - 'South Side' (and) 'Wilkinsburg' - all run in connection with the 'Central.'
Built in 1921 after a 1914 Carnegie grant.
Still in use. This library is supplemented by bookmobile service.
(L) Litho-Chrome brand card.
(R) Eerily tinted Tom Jones 'Glace' card, mailed 1909. I've never seen this
style before.
(Erie Museum card removed in light of new evidence that
the current building was a mansion, not a library building.)
Built in 1899; probably torn down in 1996. The library has had a tumultuous history.
Trying to find out more information about this Beaux-Arts library building is pretty difficult. The library is part of the Luzerne County Library System.
An attractive linen Mebane Greeting Card postcard.
Mebane left in a lot of details.
Quite shallow building built in 1928. Children's wing added 1987. The library is still in use and is a member of the Luzerne County Library system.
Linen-finish card by the Mebane Greeting Card Company.
Precursor library founded in the
1700s!
This Victorian-Gothic building was built in 1888 and slightly modified in 1962.
Replaced in 1971, the library became the Pennwood Branch of the Bucks County Free Library.
Now the headquarters of the Historic Langhorne Association.
Carnegie offered the city a grant, but it was protested.
Curt Teich linen-finish card.
New Castle Free Public Library, founded 1910, moved into this building in 1910. Owned and operated by City of New Castle. The Library has 52,600 books.
Itself, subsequently replaced.
I guess this is an example of do-it-yourself to do it right. This was built in 1903 by Charles Pratt to memorialize his parents. Until 1922, the family maintained it in a whole new spin on the concept of a family business. At that point the family deeded the library property to the newly chartered Pratt Memorial Library Association.
The library appears to have no web presence despite being the leading library for Susquehanna County.
I have no idea which building is the library, but isn't the road signage great? That would probably be airbrushed out on a Teich card. This comes from the Mebane Greeting Card Company of Wilkes-Barre.
The main building of the Free Library of Philadelphia was not funded by Andrew Carnegie. It was built in 1927 and is in the planning stages of a major renovation.
Did you know that one of its architects was African-American? Julian Abele and Horace Trumbauer designed the building. The diverse buildings planned by the Trumbauer firm include the Pere Marquette Hotel, in Peoria, Illinois.
The newest card in my collection. Thank you, Lynn!
Still in use.
Built in 1904 and
still
in use.
Byron Benson was one of the area's independent oil men, but was not
involved in the pioneering 1859 oil strike.
Beautiful handcolored Rotograph card, copyright 1905 and mailed in 1909.
Brown.
James VanDuzee Brown.
Library
addition built in 1939, essentially dating the picture to immediately pre-war.
(L) Card mailed 1908.
(R) Attractive linen-finish card produced for the Mebane Greeting Card Company
of Wilkes-Barre.
Amusingly, located on Reading Boulevard.
Pleasant red brick library which is still in use.
Card by Berkshire News of Reading.
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© 2007 - 9 Judy Aulik
Separated from
Other Carnegie Libraries on 08 July 2007.
Other Pennsylvania libraries added at this point.
Updated 19 September 2009.